What is your take on multiple family members in room when they have roommate?

[hollyberry678]

My patient had a roommate who had multiple family members in the room, on the other side of the curtain. And actually a group of them came in around 1 a.m. The families' loved one (pt) had gone through a procedure that evening, true, but not major surgery.

I asked that pt's nurse about it, and she said 'oh they will go around 2", that she didnt want to say anything because that can spark antagonism (or something to that effect), and that since they were from another culture we needed to be sensitive to that.

I said, well I am trying to be sensitive to my pt...She got an attitude to me after that.

Later she told me "it looks like they are both sleeping, the family members are being quiet" i said true, but they are still in and out (to the bathroom,ect). she said I was free to say something as I "worked in that space too"

I am all for family centered care, but where do you draw the line?

[RN1982]

Pardon my language but I would be ****** off if another nurse allowed family members to visit a patient until 2am while disturbing my patient's much needed rest.

[nurturing_angel]

Preserving HIPPA rights in a double room with a curtain for "privacy" is a big joke! I have been a patient in this predicament and late one afternoon I listened as my elderly roommate recited my entire medical history and the incidents leading up to my hospitalization to her family.

Had I been in my "home" hospital I would have automatically been placed in a private room but this was a specialty hospital where private rooms did not exist.

What a PITA!!!!

[RN1982]

Preserving HIPPA rights in a double room with a curtain for "privacy" is a big joke! I have been a patient in this predicament and late one afternoon I listened as my elderly roommate recited my entire medical history and the incidents leading up to my hospitalization to her family.

Had I been in my "home" hospital I would have automatically been placed in a private room but this was a specialty hospital where private rooms did not exist.

What a PITA!!!!

Oh, that is bad. I'm sorry that happened to you. If it was me, I would have pulled the curtain open and said "mind your own business" than would demand another room. People have some nerve.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I had a patient who was arabic in culture, and had NUMEROUS family in the room at the start of every shift(I work 5p-5a)....they would be loud, ask numerous questions and 4-5 of his brothers would attempt to translate for him....(he had 12 bros and sisters)...The last straw came when I attempted to explain that he had to relax while his knee was in the CPM....and he kept trying to bend it himself....5 brothers all trying to tell me different things were enough....I politely explained that 1. HE was the translator(pointing to 1 brother), and 2. I needed the chance to explain what was going on, 3. Everyone else was going to have to leave, as it was 11PM.....got a lot more respect the rest of his stay.

and although he was in a private room, I had many people in surrounding rooms wondering what channel the "foriegn" channel was being played on.

[mikesrn]

Nursing has ceased to become about caring for the sick as it has evolved into the best press gainey scores.Families now run the show no matter what.I am all for including "family centered care" but the inmates are running the asylum. Administration won't back nurses and the patient gets hurt in the end.

[moonchild20002000]

My husband had a bad experience with several visitors in the room for the pt in"A" bed.They were loud, preventing hubby from rest.

My DH bypassed the nursing staff and paged his neurosurgeon! It only

took 30 minutes for my hubby to be moved to a private room!

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

When I worked night shift and kindly asked visitors to leave when visiting hours were over, their response would be "well nurse-x let us stay last night" or cop an attitude with me. I just called security and had them removed. I dont take kindly to them diliberately disrespecing rules and other patients' rights. I wish all hospitals had only private rooms for multiple reasons..visitors being one of them. I hate trying to work around the family member who is snoozing in the recliner that is parked right in front of the IV pump or expecting me to try to squeeze myself between their chair and the sink to reach the patient. They get in my way. And at 1 am is NOT the time for them to be in my way because that causes noise and wakes up the patient because I cant get to them to hang that piggyback antibiotic. I now work dayshift and its a totally different story. Whatever your hospital's policy for visiting rules is...needs to be enforced unless is a ped, terminal patient, or someone who is very ill.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

It's ridiculous. Even with private rooms, no patient needs a party going on next door, nor groups of people traipsing up and down the halls all night.

It makes me feel old to recall that we not only kicked people out after visiting hours, but the patient's room phones rang through the hospital operators, and they wouldn't ring a patient's room after visiting hours were over.

I have to wonder if some of the patients with the zillion visitors wouldn't like some peace and quiet, themselves, but don't dare say anything. Maybe they're afraid no one will visit at all, or maybe they have to depend on those visitors for help when they go home. It could just be me, though; I tend to be the "Go away and let me die in peace" type when I'm sick.

[LovingNurse, BSN, RN]

I too, have been the patient with the roomie with the large group day and night and OMG it is awful, awful, awful! They even had toddlers in the room screaming. I adore kids, but the screaming and the "shhh... the other lady is really sick" was okay after the first scream, but after the 12th, it was constant pleading in my mind - "please oh please, take the kiddies home! - now!" I am a good patient and not a drama queen at all, but it was truly all I could do to hold my tongue. I knew my roommate was enjoying the company, but she wasn't really feeling bad and was getting ready to go home and would be seeing her company again very soon. If she was in bad shape or had the company been from out of town, it would have at least made more sense to me why they were there so long.

I'm starting a new job on a floor with semi-private rooms and am already feeling so sorry for my patients. The lack of privacy is bad enough, the interruption in sleep/rest is just horrible. I will advocate however I can for "the other bed" because it's just so horrible being surrounded by a room of strangers when you're so sick or in pain.

(((Hugs))) :redbeathe

[Ms Kylee]

I got floated to another floor last night... at shift change up comes postop patient.... 30 year old. The nurse and I get the patient settled and I'm starting to do the admission vitals when I hear "I am the mother and I WILL be staying tonight and tomorrow night, so you'd better find something for me to sleep on".

My first thought was, Lady, your "Kid" is 30 years old. I think they are old enough to be in the hospital without having Mommy hovering.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

IThe nurse and I get the patient settled and I'm starting to do the admission vitals when I hear "I am the mother and I WILL be staying tonight and tomorrow night, so you'd better find something for me to sleep on".

Yeah. I'll get right on that. :chuckle

[dialysis12041999]

I can understand your frustration. I have worked in several facilities including the present one, that has open visiting hours. It can really be a pain, but often I ask the visiting family members to leave the room to provide privacy for procedures. At the facility where I am working now, they have addressed this and created a extra private room that they encourage family members to take their love one and visit in this room. This room is very nice with lighting. It is very quite and private.

As facilites move toward patient centered care- they are having open visiting hours. We try to explain our rules to the families during the admission process. How ever if they do become out of control, some have been asked to find another facility that may suit their needs.